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Commercial

Fourth MRJ aircraft joins flight test program
The fourth Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp. MRJ90 flight test aircraft made its first flight in Japan Nov. 22. According to Mitsubishi Aircraft, the aircraft flew for 2 hours and 4 minutes after taking off from Nagoya Airfield at 10:18 a.m. local time.
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Boeing: Total demand for 4,880 new aircraft in southeast Asia, Oceania
In its latest market outlook, Boeing projects demand for 3,860 new commercial aircraft in southeast Asia through 2035, valued at $565 billion. Passenger traffic in the region is expected to increase at 6.4% over the next two decades. Boeing cited the region’s large population, middle class expansion and increasing incomes as drivers behind the opening up of domestic, regional and international markets. “The upturn in this metric is also largely due to the region's island geography, where ground transportation typically is not a viable option,” Boeing said.
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Airlines

Airberlin to hire 500 additional flight attendants
Oneworld carrier airberlin is set to recruit more than 500 additional flight attendants related to the airline’s growth plan for long haul routes, especially to North America. After years of losses since it launched in 2006, airberlin is being split into three parts. Airberlin subsidiary FlyNiki and its 21 aircraft are moving into the Etihad-TUI project Blue Sky. Forty aircraft are being wet-leased to Lufthansa affiliates Eurowings and Austrian Airlines. The remaining 75-aircraft operation is to be repositioned as a premium European short-haul and transatlantic long-haul carrier.
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American Airlines announces decision on Pittsburgh/LAX route
Pittsburgh International Airport has won plenty of new flights lately, but today it learned that it will be losing a big one. American Airlines will end its nonstop flight between Pittsburgh and Los Angeles on Feb. 14, dealing a blow to the efforts by the Allegheny County Airport Authority to beef up service to the West Coast.
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AA, Qantas push back on tentative DOT decision
American Airlines and Qantas vowed to challenge the Department of Transportation's tentative decision to block a proposal by the two airlines to expand their network alliance. "Other airlines have the significant competitive advantage of antitrust immunity in the US-Australasia market. With the same opportunity, American and Qantas will be able to compete more effectively and increase consumer benefits in the market," AA said in a statement. The DOT will accept comments on its decision until Dec. 2 before it makes a final ruling.
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LATAM, Copa seek to get in front of Latin America’s low-cost trend
LATAM Airlines Group revamping its fare structure to offer a basic economy option on domestic flights and Copa Holdings launching a low-cost carrier (LCC) signal a move toward low-fare services in Latin America, even among the region’s largest airlines. LCCs have transformed the domestic Mexican market in recent years, and LCCs have a strong foothold in the Brazilian market, but the model has not yet caught on in the rest of Latin America. That appears to be changing, particularly in domestic markets and on short-haul flights, and LATAM and Copa are trying to get in front of the trend.
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Loganair adopts new colours after Flybe split
Scottish regional carrier Loganair is to revamp its livery following the dissolution of its franchise partnership with Flybe. The airline will emerge from the pact at the beginning of September 2017, marking the first time it has operated in its own right for 24 years, having flown for British Airways from 1993 and subsequently for Flybe from 2008.
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Lufthansa cancels 876 flights ahead of Nov. 23 strike
Lufthansa canceled 876 out of nearly 3,000 planned flights – including 51 long-haul routes – for Wednesday Nov. 23 following the call from Lufthansa pilot union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) for a pilot strike. Lufthansa said it has installed an interim-flight schedule. The strike will affect travel plans for about 100,000 passengers. The 24-hour strike will have an impact on long- and short-haul flights, the airline said.
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SAS studies possible leisure-oriented offshoot
Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) is exploring the possibility of creating a new subsidiary that would tap into the growing European leisure sector. The airline stressed that such a venture was just one of many options being discussed internally to ensure the continuation of a “sustainable and profitable SAS,” which this year marked its 70th anniversary.
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Southwest Airlines appearance technicians ratify labor contract
Southwest Airlines’ appearance technicians have ratified a four-year tentative agreement with the Dallas-based airline, according to a tally released Nov. 22 by the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA), which represents over 200 Southwest personnel responsible for aircraft detailing and appearance care services.
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TransAsia Airways to shut down
TransAsia Airways has announced that it will cease operations permanently and enter into liquidation. At a press conference in Taipei, the airline’s chairman Vincent Lin said that despite efforts to restructure the company, following two fatal turboprop crashes in recent years, TransAsia has continued to bleed.
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Airports

Russia´s Basel Aero invests $497 million in Krasnodar-region airports
Russian airport operator Basel Aero’s total investment in Krasnodar-region airports in southwestern Russia will reach RUB32 billion ($497.2 million), according to a company statement. Construction of a new terminal at Anapa International Airport is one of Basel Aero’s key projects at the moment. The 11,800-square meter terminal will have a 600 passenger-per-hour capacity and will be finished in the near future; investments could reach RUB1.4 billion.
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‘Heightened Anxiety’ Led To JFK Airport Panic
A report into the evacuation of three terminals at New York’s JFK airport in August has said that a heightened state of anxiety caused an overreaction which led to mass panic. The report by security and law enforcement officials was prepared for New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson.
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Military

​Canada pursues interim buy of Boeing Super Hornets
The Canadian government will launch an open competition to replace its aging fleet of CF-18 fighter jets and plans to purchase 18 Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornets as an interim fix for its current capability gap. But defense officials also attempted to placate F-35 prime contractor Lockheed Martin and the US defense industry, with the assurance that Canada will remain a member of the Joint Strike Fighter program.
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Boeing signs off on final six H135 helicopters for Australia
Australia has inched closer to receipt of its full complement of new training helicopters after prime contractor Boeing signed off on the final six examples. Assembled by Airbus Helicopters at its Donauwörth facility in southern Germany, all 15 H135s – manufactured to the older T2+ standard – have now achieved full factory acceptance in the two years since contract signature.
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Aviation Quote

It is true to say that the first kill can influence the whole future career of a fighter pilot. Many to whom the first victory over the opponent has been long denied either by unfortunate circumstances or by bad luck can suffer from frustration or develop complexes they may never rid themselves of again.

- General Adolf Galland, Luftwaffe.

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Trivia

General Trivia

1. What is a deceleron?

2.When air traffic control advises pilots of other traffic, many pilots advise the controller that the traffic is not in sight using the colloquial and unofficial phrase "no joy." From where does this expression originate?

3. The Waco CG-4A glider was used during World War II (especially during the Normandy invasion) as a cargo and troop carrier. Why was it referred to as a "flying coffin"?

4. Almost all general aviation piston engines have a wet sump, a built-in oil reservoir, instead of an external or separate oil tank. How can you determine by looking at the oil dipstick of a wet-sump engine the minimum oil quantity with which the engine can be operated safely?

5. True or False, James H. "Jimmy" Doolittle was the first solo pilot to perform a blind takeoff and landing using only cockpit instruments and radio aids.

6. True or False, Two Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses took off from Hilo, Hawaii, on August 6, 1946, without anyone on board. Both landed safely at Muroc Dry Lake, California.